Six-foot tall figures of the Toy of the Year Award-winning Lego Friends collection of building sets on display the American International Toy Fair on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2012, in New York. / Brian Ach/AP

Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish toy maker Lego says sales soared 25 percent last year thanks partly to the new Lego Friends series of building blocks designed for girls.

The privately owned company says that on revenue of 23.4 billion kroner ($4.2 billion) it made net profits of 5.6 billion kroner ($1 billion), up 38%.

The company, based in western Denmark, said today that series like Lego Star Wars and Lego Ninjago were among the more popular. But it was the novel rollout for girls, Lego Friends, that sold much better than expected — to the extent that the company was unable to keep up with demand.

CEO Joergen Vig Knudstorp says Lego had shown it can develop toys that children across world "put at the top of their wish lists in 2012."